The term's historical use in contexts that typically implied disapproval is also a reason why more unambiguously neutral terms such as interracial, interethnic or cross-cultural are more common in contemporary usage.

In Spanish, Portuguese, and French, the words used to describe the mixing of races are mestizaje, mestiçagem and métissage.

Vu, who went through Y Combinator with two separate startups before launching Color Dating, said that the online dating experience — particularly for quick-swipe apps like Tinder — can be frustrating for minorities.

“If a community is predominately a certain race and expresses a specific preference, if you don’t fit with the majority, you’ll end up having a horrible experience,” he said.

e Harmony was developed by Neil Clark, a psychologist and the author of relationship advice books. It is the questionnaire in the profile that decides whether you are eligible for the matching process.

By asking the users to answer these questions, the site makes sure that it only admits those users who really want to be in a long-term relationship.